Residents claim no freeze, reduction on weekly rent
Sanjeeva Perera, Housing and Community Development permanent secretary, released a statement last week on Friday saying HART residents featured in this newspaper on Thursday, May 7, and Friday, May 8, 2020, “pay $5 a week or $20 a month for their rent and not $42 as stated”.
In the statement, Mr Perera also said “rent payment for all HART residents have been put on hold from 20 March of this year and will continue to be so, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and effects of Tropical Cyclone Harold”.
HART residents whom this newspaper spoke to, however, said they had no knowledge of a rent reduction or freeze as stated by Mr Perera.
A resident claimed said the statement issued by Government did not reflect the reality on the ground.
“How can Government say that when I am paying $10.50 a week,” she claimed.
This newspaper sighted rent receipts of a number of residents and the information on the receipts showed there was no reduction in their weekly rent dues.
HART chief executive officer Paserio Furivai said the low-income housing provider had two rates — charity rate and economic rate.
“Economic rate is taken from people whose earnings are much higher and they do not qualify to stay in HART for the long term,” he explained.
“In emergency cases — like homes lost to fire or other disasters — families need assistance and they have the income power.
“They only then need a place to live for some time, we charge them the economic rate.”
When quizzed about the rent freeze as stated by Mr Perera, Mr Furivai said the freeze would depend on the situation of each resident and HART was assessing this every week because the COVID-19 issue could become a long-term situation.
He also said HART was also concerned about how it would sustain its services if the freeze continued over a longer period.
Credit: The Fiji Times
